Bushroot
Dr. Reginald Bushroot' is a fictional character, a supervillain from the animated television series Darkwing Duck, produced by The Walt Disney Company. Bushroot is voiced by Tino Insana. Background Bushroot is a duck scientist-turned-villain who was once a renowned botanist, but his funding for his experiments (grafting the ability to photosynthesize onto animals) was about to be cut. Desperate to prove his theories were correct and the experiment would work, Bushroot performed the experiment on himself and was permanently transformed into a half-duck half-plant creature (identified in a later episode as Lycium nycanthropus). He used his newfound talent to pursue revenge on rival scientists Dr. Gary and Dr. Larson (probably named after Gary Larson, the cartoonist behind The Far Side; they are drawn similarly to how Larson drew scientists) who had nicknamed him "Reggie the Veggie." He also attempted to woo Dr. Rhoda Dendron, a comely fellow female scientist, who had previously defended Bushroot from bullies. Bushroot kills Dr. Gary and Dr. Larson, but Rhoda was dismayed by Bushroot's lack of scientific ethics and shunned him when he appeared before her. Heartbroken and more than a little insane, Bushroot took her hostage, intending to perform the same experiment on her, but was stopped by Darkwing Duck. In later episodes Bushroot mainly commits crimes to fund his experiments, though sometimes he acts in a manner reminiscent of an environmentalist (a la Greenpeace). Bushroot has the ability to control any and all forms of plant, though some seem to obey better than others. He sometimes has to use chemicals or fertilizers to make a plant useful in a fight. In one episode, he attempts to create a mate for himself, but mistakenly used the wrong seeds and creates a giant slobbering mutant potato named Posie. He also has a pet plant named Spike which resembles a Venus Flytrap. Bushroot has the ability to regenerate himself when cut and is therefore virtually impossible to kill. He has also been known to fake his own death through leaving dried dummy husks behind and regenerating through various methods. Aside from his many plant cohorts, Bushroot was also allied as a member of the Fearsome Five, acting as one of NegaDuck's henchmen. In the Negaverse, Bushroot's counterpart is a member of the Friendly Four. Spike Spike is Bushroot's plant sidekick, who behaves much like a dog and resembles an overgrown Venus flytrap. A recurring theme involves Spike to be chemically altered making him either smaller or larger than usual. In "The Incredible Bulk", he secretly helped Darkwing and Launchpad because he was jealous of the attention Bushroot was giving Daisy instead of him. Bushroot later remarked in that episode that he found Spike dependable, much to his pleasure. Appearance Bushroot has dark green feathers (or more precisely that film that covers the plant's stem) over his torso and face, roots for legs (with some of the roots' wood making up his pelvis area), an orange beak, turquoise eyes, vines for arms, ivy leaves for hands, and shaggy magenta foliage for hair. When Negaduck stole all his powers, Bushroot, like Liquidator, didn't revert back to his original form. Instead, his altered appearance was kept even though he didn't have his powers. Themes The first episode to feature him may well be the darkest episode of the show; Bushroot murders the two scientists who bullied him, and is seemingly killed himself. More than any other villain, he seems to be a homage to the darker Batman comics, possessing a true backstory and sympathetic qualities. Loneliness and alienation are the major themes of Bushroot-related episodes. On several occasions he attempts to create a companion for himself, someone who will understand him and share his existence and ideals. These plans invariably fail. He has also been known to befriend Darkwing Duck in one episode, aiding the hero with his plant controlling powers. This mutual friendship, which Bushroot began to enjoy towards the end, is cut short when he no longer serves a use for the hero. It is also thought that Darkwing enjoyed Reggie's company as well, but he reminds himself that villains and heroes are like water and oil and thus pushes Bushroot to run from the police towards the end of the show. He has some of the same powers as Poison Ivy (Comics). Influences The most easily noticeable derivation of his likeness is the similarity to his original episode title, "Beauty and the Beet," which refers to the fairy tale and draws a comparison of Bushroot to the Beast. This similarity lasts only so long as the episode does however. Bushroot seems largely to be based on the DC Comics supervillain, the Floronic Man, whose plant-based powers and transformation from human scientist into man-like plant creature (due to a biochemical accident) parallel those of the cartoon villain. Like Bushroot, the Floronic man's actual name is a combination of two plant-related words (Wood + rue). Another inspiration for Bushroot could be the Batman villain Poison Ivy, as her origin story is remarkably similar, as is her modus operandi of eco-terrorism and the style of adversary she faces (i.e., Batman). Category:Darkwing Duck characters Category:Animal supervillains Category:Fictional ducks Category:Fictional plants Category:Fictional hybrids Category:Fictional anthropomorphic characters Category:Fictional henchmen Category:Fictional doctors Category:Fictional scientists Category:Fictional mad scientists Category:Fictional murderers Category:Fictional mutants Category:Fictional criminals Category:Fictional immortals Category:Fictional telepaths Category:Fictional characters who can stretch themselves Category:Fictional characters who can manipulate plantlife Category:Fictional characters with accelerated healing Category:1991 introductions